The Graduating Class of 1988
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THE GRADUATING CLASS OF 1988 MEDICAL AND DENTAL STUDENTS COLLEGE OF MEDICINE UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN IBADAN PREFACE This is the sixth edition of the Year Book for Graduating Medical and Dental Students of the College of Medicine, University of Ibadan. Our ability to produce this edition against all the odds encountered during the session confirms the comment in the preface to the fifth edition that we have overcome the "risks of Childhood mortality". We have maintained the general format of the book, with only a slight modification in the presentation of the jokes and popular saying to reflect the various aspects of life in the medical school. In the past one year, quite a number of our teachers have left the services of the University and it appears the trend will continue for some time to come. We shall continue to call on the government of this country to save medical education in Nigeria by ensuring that our high calibre teachers remain in the country through the provision of conditions of service that are commensurate with their status in the society The acceptance of our medical teachers all over the world is a testimony to their professional competence of which we are very proud. No nation can ignore the problems attendant on mass exodus of her best brains in time of National calamities as Nigeria is doing now. The situation must be rectified as a matter of urgency for the benefit of generations unborn. The economic crunch has continued to affect us negatively. The production cost of this edition is higher than the cost at which it is being offered to students. The last edition was poorly patronised because the students could not afford the unexpected increase in its price over that of the 4th edition. We are greatly indebted to those who have contributed to the cost of production of this edition. We are particularly grateful to the medical director of St. Vincent Medical Centre Bodija Ibadan for his unflinching support for our course. The members of the Year Book Committee have maintained the high sense of responsibility required for the successful collation, editing and final publication of this book. I am confident that the production of this book has come to be a permanent feature ot this College, the administrators of which have been most encouraging in times of difficulty. F.A.B. Adeyemi-Doro. 3 PROF. A.O. FALASE Provost College of Medicine University of Ibadan. VALEDICTORY ADDRESS TO THE GRADUATING MBBS AND BDS CLASSES. 29TH JULY 1988 by Professor A. O. FALASE MBBS (Ibadan) FRCP (Lond.) FMCP (Nig.) Mid (Ibadan) FWAEP. Provost, College & Medicine, I'niversily of Ibadar,. The Vice-Chancellor The Deputy Vice-Chancellor The Registrar Our Distinguished Special Guest Dr. H. E. B. Green The Chairman, Oyo State Branch of the Nigeria Medical Association The Chief Medical Director of the University College Hospital, Ibadan The Deputy Provost The Secretary to the College Deans of Faculties Sub-Deans Ladies and Gentlemen. All too soon, another year has gone and today we have another set of new medical and dental practitioners taking the oath of allegiance at the end of their long training in the Medical and Dental Schools of this great University. Today also represents a landmark, for these new dodtors and dentists are the first to be trained under a new curriculum begun five years ago. This new curriculum appears to represent a great improvement on the old one. However, final judgement will have to await a scientific review which has already begun. Let me at this stage welcome and thank the Vice-Chancellor of this University for his support to me and the College in the past year. He is a great friend of this College, a honest, patient listener and our ardent supporter. I thank him once again for continuing to demonstrate his love to us by attending and chairmaning this ceremony of admission to the medical and dental professions. I also welcome Professor P. O. Bodunrin, another great friend to this occasion, the first since he assumed duties as the Deputy Vice - Chancellor of this University. Finally, I welcome the Registrar and the Chairman of the Oyo State Branch of the Nigeria Medical Association and thank them for coming. Our Special Guest, Dr. H.E.B. Green has already been introduced and he has delivered his words of wisdom. As you would have noticed, he doubles as a medical and dental practitioner, for he holds both MBBS and BDS degrees, although he is better-known as a distinguished dental practitioner. There is no doubt that he is a great Nigerian and a source of inspiration to all of us, especially these young men and women beginning their life-long career today. I thank him for accepting to be our Special Guest. 5 This College of Medicine has now trained a total of 3,234 MBBS and 138 BDS graduates since 1960 when it started training doctors and dentists fully here in Nigeria. Our graduate output in the last five years are as follows: MBBS BDS 1983 174 19 1984 184 20 1985 209 18 1986 244 20 1987 264 21 There are 200 students in this year's MBBS class and 23 in the BDS class. Our College of Medicine therefore continues to be the largest and most important producer of doctors for the country, thus fulfilling the role for which it was set up in 1948 and justifying its designation in 1976 as a centre of excellence in Medicine in Nigeria. The Cortege has, as before, continued to provide assistance to other Medical Schools in Nigeria. In the area of health care delivery, our teachers have not only continued to provide high-quality curative services to Nigerians in their role as consultants to the University College Hospital, but have played a crucial role in the training of personnel for the successful take-off of primary health care in Nigeria. I will therefore like to pay special tribute to all members of our staff who continue to work with integrity, vigour, and devotion to duty in order to maintain the high standard for which Jbadan is well-known even in the face of dwindling resources and immense frustration. Funding was again, one of the major problems this session. The level of funding of this University and consequently its Medical and Dental Schools has become so critical that there is now a serious threat to our training programmes especially the quality of our graduates. This last year was really desperate as shown in the amount of money made available for Goods and Services to our 44 Departments and units between 1980 and 1987. Amount allocated N 1980/81 1,044,281.00 1981/82 800,850.00 1982/83 853,050.00 1983/84 264,041.00 1984/85 330,669.00 1985/86 343,119.00 1986/87 265,185.00 1987/88 174,165.00 Actual receipts for this year were in fact much less than the amount allocated. Thus, in practical terms. Departments now have available to them between N100 — N200 a month to provide teaching, practicals, and research facilities. The stage has now been reached where members of staff donate part of their monthly salaries towards the running of the Departments, a very deplorable situation indeed. The 6 consequences as excepted, include run-down, outdated equipment and lack of reagents and chemicals to run practicals. The departments in Dentistry are the worst hit since they require a lot of materials and equipment to function. Needless to say, morale among staff is very low. Added to the above is the increased exodus of staff from our Medical and Dental Schools. Over the past 4 years, 43 members of Academic Staff have left or indicated their intention to leave our services. Of these, 25 are of Professorial status and only 9 attained the age of 60 years before leaving. 23 of the 43 members of staff are either in Europe, Canada, U.S.A. or the Middle East countries. And, reports reaching us show that up to 15 members of staff plan to leave between now and next year. Needless to say, this must not be allowed to happen, for that would deal a heavy blow to medical education not only in this University but in the country. The most disturbing aspect is that this country is losing experts at an alarming rate in the less attractive specialities of Medicine — anaesthesia, radiology, otorhinolaryngology, pathology — where staff training and recruitment is difficult world-wide. To summarise, the situation in the Medical schools in the country is as follows: Funding is poor, morale is consequently very low and teachers are leaving for greener pastures outside the country at a very high rate. Thus, medical education and the provision of specialist care for the populace are seriously threatened. A solution to the current high exodus of staff can only be found if a dispassionate examination of its causes is made. Up till the early part of this decade, the remunerations and conditions of service of medical specialist doctors had compared favourably with those of other countries of the world. Nigeria was therefore able to retain its special.ists and even attracted other highly qualified doctors from other countries. With the devaluation of the Nigerian currency, salaries were in real terms lowered to between 200 — 300 US dollars a month. In the meantime, average pay in other countries has risen and in the Middle East countries, average pay is up to 5,000 US dollars a month, almost equal to what a specialist doctor earns in a year in this country.